Two people have been confirmed dead after the explosion in the Clifton neighborhood on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
“I went to the scene yesterday afternoon and saw all of our amazing first responders and partner agencies working hard, working together, risking their lives to ensure that the scene was safe,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “That we rescued as many individuals as possible, so that everyone who was impacted was safe and would be protected.”
The first victim, according to Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill, died at U of L hospital after sustaining injuries from the blast.
The second was found hours later.
Originally, Givaudan Sense Colour plant told the fire department that everyone was accounted for. However, late into the night, the business said that there was one person missing. Firefighters went back into the partially collapsed building to search for the last person.
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Firefighters found the second victim around midnight, nearly nine hours later.
According to Chief O’Neill, the mixture of a partial building collapse, the fire and the potential hazardous materials incident made the situation more difficult for Louisville Metro Fire Department.
“You need to understand that despite any reports that we have, if our firefighters respond to a vacant and abandoned structure, they treat it as if it is occupied and they search everywhere they need to search.” O’Neill said.
Currently, the fire department currently does not have answers as to why the fire happened, but they have not found anything hazardous or of concern at the area as of now.
LMFD has begun an investigation to learn why the fire happened.
This article appears in Nov 4-19, 2024.
